War Zone – Iran sent ballistic missiles 1,000 miles out into the Indian Ocean, but it doesn’t mean they have a long-range anti-ship ballistic missile capability.

War Zone – Iran’s Navy has formally commissioned the Markran, a former oil tanker it says has been transformed into a “forward base ship.” This vessel could provide a platform for more persistent maritime operations in and outside of the country’s own littoral areas. 

USNI News – The Middle East remains a volatile area for merchant shipping into the new year, according to the analysis of attacks on ships in the region.

Naval News – New intelligence suggests that Iran has a locally built warship which has not been publicly revealed.

War Zone – The ship was damaged above the waterline, which might indicate the use of a limpet mine, which Iran and its proxies have used in past tanker attacks.

Navy Recognition –  Iran plans to deliver a new surveillance warship “Shiraz” to the Iranian Navy. This new vessel has special features and would join Iran’s Navy fleet next Iranian calendar year.

(Thanks to Alain)

War Zone – Packing drones, boats, missiles, and a helicopter, it is Iran’s somewhat questionable take on American expeditionary sea bases.

USNI News – Emblazoned with the pennant number “1” in on its superstructure, Shahid Roudaki joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) as its latest and most visible warship during a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

USNI News – Officially Saviz is a merchant ship, but it is most likely a covert Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forward base. Several open-source reports over the last several years and officials with Saudi Arabia have accused the ship of being operated by the IRGC.

– USNI News – An Iranian special forces team boarded and seized a Liberian tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates for about five hours on Wednesday. The action by Iranian forces drew swift condemnation from the U.S.-led collation created to deter harassment of merchant ships in and out of the Persian Gulf.

– Forbes – The saga of Iran’s fake aircraft carrier, intended as a propaganda coup, is turning into an own goal…

(Thanks to Alain)

– BBC – Iran has launched missiles at a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

– National Interest – One of their three Soviet-built Kilo-class submarines just might be out of commission.

(Thanks to Alain)

– Navy Times – As tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S., the Islamic Republic appears to have constructed a new mock-up of an aircraft carrier off its southern coast for potential live-fire drills.

– Navy Times – The U.S. Navy warned Tuesday it will take “lawful defensive measures” against vessels in the Mideast that come within 100 meters (yards) of its warships, offering specific guidelines after a recent close encounter with Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.

– USNI News – The Navy’s existing policy for dealing with the small Iranian vessels prevalent in the Persian Gulf matches the sentiment of a Wednesday morning Tweet from President Donald Trump.

– The Hill – James Holmes writes that America’s coronavirus agony is Iran’s opportunity. Or at least the mullahs who rule the Islamic Republic may see it that way — rightly or wrongly.

– Defense News – Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard announced Monday that it has significantly upgraded the range of its anti-warship missiles.

– BBC – The US Navy has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) of “dangerous and provocative actions” in international waters in the Gulf.

– National Interest – How Iran could channel an old British strategy against Napoleon to fight U.S. forces in the Middle East.

– BBC – A British-flagged oil tanker has been seized in the Gulf by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Iran media say.

– War Zone – The Iranians initially said the ship had broken down and had asked for assistance, but now claim it was involved in smuggling fuel.

– BBC – The US military has released a video which it says shows Iranian special forces removing an unexploded mine from the side of an oil tanker damaged in an attack in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

– BBC – Dozens of crew members have been rescued after abandoning two oil tankers hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman.

– ABC – Following claims by Iran about why it deployed missiles in early May that led the U.S. to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region, a U.S. defense official has provided ABC News with new details about the intelligence that drove the Trump administration’s strong response.